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Re: Unusual capacitor dielectrics
In a message dated 10/31/98 1:08:55 PM Mountain Standard Time,
tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:
> How about wax potting not just as the final step but as a way
> to introduce a dielectric?
>
> Later: Steve Ivy
Way back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, people used to make caps with
foil and waxed paper. They would simply alternate the layers and then heat
the whole unit until the wax would start to melt and then compress them and
allow them to cool. I doubt they got much of a voltage rating from them
unless they put several in series. It would work if designed properly.
I have thought about trying to make an oil cap by immersing many stiff
plates in a tank of oil and using something like scotch brite pads(only larger
area) to keep them separated. I found some 12"x12" pads like that from
American Science and Surplus. The one possible advantage to this is that you
could make a variable cap by simply compressing the whole assembly. It would
likely need to be in series with another cap to prevent carbon tracking
between the plates.
Mike